


Another Time

by nhasablog



Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-24 00:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13799310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nhasablog/pseuds/nhasablog
Summary: In a world where T’Challa and Erik grew up side by side, having tickle fights would be common.





	Another Time

In another life, in another time and universe, Erik was brought back to Wakanda to grow up by T’Challa’s - and then eventually Shuri’s - side. Treated like a second son and loved by all, he grew up happy and content while calling T’Challa brother. It was another life. A happy one.

“You cheated.”

They were in their late teens. Not exactly adults yet, but not children any longer. They refused to let anyone forget the latter, which brought the King and Queen immense amusement and annoyed Shuri to no end.

“I did no such thing.”

Erik huffed, shooting T’Challa a glare. “What, you’re not gonna tell me that a future king doesn’t cheat?”

“A future king doesn’t-”

“Okay, that’s it.”

In swift motions that T’Challa always expected but never fought to avoid, Erik tackled him down onto the ground. Dust rose as they rolled around the stone floor of the mountain, the game they had been playing in order to entertain themselves shoved aside by T’Challa’s flailing arm. It didn’t take long for Erik to pin his cousin. T’Challa would always deny it, but Erik was slightly bigger than him and took advantage of it everyday.

“I am warning you, N’Jadaka.” T’Challa only called him that when he was trying to intimidate him, but the family tended to stick to Erik in memory of his late father, at least behind closed doors.

“What is your warning, oh great future leader of the lands of Wakanda?”

“Lay a finger on me and you will regret it.”

“Oh, I’m not going to lay a finger on you. I’m going to use all ten.”

A game they always played, even though the victim always claimed they were too old for it now. A harmless method of getting the other to admit to something, or to give up, but mostly used to mess with each other. They both secretly did it to get the other to laugh as well, but it was nothing they spoke of.

Erik went for T’Challa’s worst spots easily, having memorized them as soon as they got close enough to start doing this. As T’Challa started yelling at him, Erik cut him off by clawing at his ribs, finding sweets spots his cousin had yet to grow out of.

“How are you going to be king and be this ticklish?” Erik said to taunt him, and they both knew T’Challa’s revenge - for there was always a revenge - would be more brutal due to those words.

The mountain echoed with T’Challa’s laughter now, high pitched and juvenile and so very desperate, and Erik felt the familiar warmth mixed with smugness wash over him as he reduced his cousin to an incoherent mess using only his fingers. T’Challa, in turn, relished in the act of letting go entirely.

They both adored this more than the other would know.

“Admit that you cheated,” Erik said, grinning when T’Challa let out a particularly loud shriek as he journeyed closer and closer to his underarms.

“But I didn’t!”

“Lies. So many lies.”

“Erik, I promise you!”

Erik didn’t listen. It didn’t matter if T’Challa gave up a second into the tickling. He would always keep going just to spite him. Just like brothers did.

“I’ll only stop if you promise to let me be king instead.” A simple jest. Erik did not want to be king.

“Oh, come on!”

T’Challa was digging his heels into the ground, which was a sign that Erik either needed to finish him off now or start slowing down, depending on what reaction he wanted. He decided that T’Challa could use the defeat.

Worming his fingers under his cousin’s arms, Erik turned him into a thrashing, screaming mess of limbs.

“You are cruel,” T’Challa said once he’d backed off, lying on the stone floor and panting as if he’d just climbed the mountain to get there.

Erik was practically beaming with smugness. “That will teach you to cheat.”

He hadn’t expected T’Challa to recover quickly enough to suddenly pin him, but he did, and Erik had to admit that he felt a small wave of fear when T’Challa tilted his head at him.

“A future king does not cheat,” he said, and Erik was gone before he’d even reached for his hips.

“Wait, wait, wait!” he cried, but there was no stopping T’Challa now. Squeezing at the sensitive skin as if his life depended on it, he threw Erik into hysterics. Head thrown back, body squirming but staying where T’Challa had trapped it. Laughter echoing in the mountain, like a call of joy. One this kingdom had heard too many times to count.

In another life, that could have been his normal, but now it was merely a dream he never dared to dream.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com).


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